Medical telemetry systems that allow physiologic data from multiple, remotely-located patients to be monitored from a central location are known in the art. These systems typically comprise remote telemeters that remotely collect the physiologic data of respective patients and transmit the data over a wireless or land-based link to a monitoring station. This physiologic data may include, for example, real-time electrocardiograms (EKG), carbon dioxide levels, blood pressure, temperature, respiration rates, and other critical patient parameters. From the monitoring station, a clinician can, in real-time, monitor the physiologic status of many different patients. The central station may also run automated monitoring software for alerting the clinician whenever a predetermined physiologic event occurs, such as a cardiac arrhythmia condition.
The remote telemeters of medical telemetry systems are generally of two types: instrument remote telemeters and ambulatory remote telemeters. An ambulatory remote telemeter is a portable, battery-powered device which permits the patient to be monitored while the patient is ambulatory. The ambulatory telemeter attaches to the patient by a strap or other attachment device, and receives the patient's physiologic data via EKG leads and/or other types of sensor leads, which attach to the patient's body. The physiologic data is continuously transmitted to the central monitoring station by the telemeter's radio frequency (RF) transmitter to permit real-time monitoring. Instrument remote telemeters operate in a similar manner, but receive the patient's physiologic data from a bedside monitor, or other instrument, over a hardwired line, such as an RS-232 connection. Instrument remote telemeters that transfer the physiologic data to the monitoring station over a hardwired connection are also found.
Typically, the monitoring station includes a receiver for receiving and decoding RF transmissions from the patient transmitter, and a computer for displaying the physiologic data. In many cases, the receivers are implemented as circuit boards that plug into a standard personal computer. The resulting physiologic data is displayed on the computer screen. In these applications, the process of collecting data and updating the display is relatively simple because the receiver, computer, and display are combined in a single system.
Computer networks capable of facilitating the display of physiologic telemetry data are also found in the art. In such systems, the data is often transmitted over a dedicated network, using hardware and software, to various work-station computers interspersed throughout a hospital. Existing network systems also employ hardware and software designed for a packet switched network. In such systems, monitored physiologic data is transmitted to a central data-monitoring device, where one or more waveform servers are connected to the central data-monitoring device and to a computer network. One or more data servers are also connected to the computer network. In these systems, the waveform servers receive the physiologic information from the central data-monitoring device and supply the physiologic data to one or more workstations.
Presently, many medical applications benefit from the use of visual display systems such as, for example, video monitors, where information viewed by a clinician through an endoscope, colonoscope, or other medical instrument is displayed on a video monitor located in the room. Generally, video monitors and other visual display systems used in this capacity provide video images in real-time taken by a camera integrated with an intracorporeal medical device. Though such systems are helpful in diagnosing a patient's condition or performing a procedure, clinicians generally require separate monitors for monitored patient parameters and video images recorded by medical scopes. The use of multiple monitors in chaotic environments such as, for example, hospital operating rooms, may lead to hazardous situations as a result of superfluous AC power cords or bulky obtrusive equipment. Further, clinicians relying on multiple monitors often have difficulty dedicating their full attention to a patient's overall condition, where the use of a plurality of monitors requires the clinician to constantly switch back and forth between monitors. Furthermore, the configuration of different display devices relative to each other at a given location may vary from one operating/procedure room to the other, requiring clinicians to re-orient themselves with each new room and creating a risk of reading displayed data from the wrong display device. Where multiple monitors are used in medical applications, there is the potential for clinicians to miss critical patient episodes while viewing a monitor not displaying information related to the negative episode. The need has therefore arisen for an in-room remote monitoring system that displays information from a sedation and analgesia system related to critical patient parameters and drug delivery in cooperation with images received from medical scopes. The need has further arisen for an integrated monitor that may combine and display data from a sedation and analgesia system with any other suitable display such as, for example, patient histories or an expert's commentary.
Though certain existing monitoring systems feature some remote functionality, the need remains for sedation and analgesia systems with a remote functionality. The need has arisen for an integrated sedation and analgesia system that remotely transmits and/or displays information related to both a patient's physiologic condition and actions taken by the sedation and analgesia system in response to that patient's physiologic condition. The need has further arisen for a means of providing data in a real-time fashion, enabling remote systems to be utilized in a supervisory capacity, a teaching capacity, to provide compliance with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) requirements and other regulatory agencies, and/or for use in transmitting information related to drug use and patient billing, among others.